Multiple chambered tool handle



oct. 3'1, 1961 G. A. DYE 3,006,395

MULTIPLE CHAMBERED TOOL HANDLE Filed June 15, `1959 PI .1 "Hq. .L -F1 3 INVENTOR 6501965 f?. Diff.

United States The present invention relates to a multiple bit tool and may nd its primary utility as a multiple point screwdriver.

a It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved multiple bit tool.

A further object is to provide a multiple bit tool which may be easily and quickly operated to place in operative position a selected bit of a plurality of bits contained within the tool.

Another object is to provide a multiple bit tool which has the bits thereof permanently contained therein to prevent los-s or misplacing of the bits.

A further object is lto provide a multiple bit too-l which has'a novel means of locking the bits thereof in operating position.

Still another object is to provide a multiple bit tool which has a novel container for the bits within the handle of the tool, which container allows quick and easy removal of a bit therefrom.

Still further objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal lsectional view of a multiple point screwdriver embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing the screwdriver rotated ninety degrees about the axis thereof and showing the screwdriver in `a different phase of operation.

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken in the direction of the arrows and along the line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse section taken in the direction of the arrows and along the line 4-4 of FIG. l but showing the screwdriver in a different operating position (all of the screwdriver points contained within the handle of the screwdriver).

FIG. 5 is a transverse section taken in the direction of the arrows and along the line 5 5 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to `the drawings, I have illustrated my invention `as comprising a screwdriver which comprises a tubular element or assembly 11 and a handle element or assembly 12, the handle element 12 lbeing reciprocably and concentrically mounted upon 'and enclosing the upper end of the tubular element 11. The handle assembly includes cylindrical sleeve 15 having four inwardly opening chambers 16 therein for reception of screwdriver points 17 or other types of tool bits, if desired. The handle assembly 12 further includes an abutment wall 20 which is fixed within the upperend of the handle assembly in such a manner as to close oi the upper ends of the chambers 16. The chambers 16 have, at their lower ends, inwardly sloping walls or surfaces 18 for a purpose to be `described below. The Wall 2t) has an aperture therethrough which is sufficiently large to allow the reciprocation of the handle element 12 upon a tubular member 21a forming a portion of the tubular assembly'11.

The screwdriver 10 further comprises a means 23 for locking la selected one of the bits 17 in projecting relationshipv from the lower end or nose 22 of the tubular member 21.

The tubular assembly 11 is made up of the tubular member 21, a kick out plug 26 fixed within the upper end ,of the tubul-ar member 21a and a cap or top knob 25 fixed to the upper end of the kick out plug 26 by screw arent 'ice 27. The kick out plug 26 has a square portion 26a received within a square cross-section aperture 25a in the cap 25 whereby the cap 25 is locked against rotation with respect to the kick out plug 26 and the remainder of the tubular assembly 11. The tubular member 21a has an elongated slot 30 formed in the wall thereof extending longitudinally of the tubular member and of suilcient width to permit a bit within the chamber 16 to pass into said tubular member. The slot 30 is so located that when the sleeve 15 is moved into engagement with the cap, the lower end of the inclined wall 18 will be in lcommunication with the slot 30, whereby a bit in the adjacent chamber may slide through the slot 30 into the tubular member 21, as shown in FIG. 2. It ycan be seen that the sloping ends 18 of the chambers will guide the screwdriver points into the tubular member 21 even through the Iscrewdriver is tilted from the vertical as much as forty-ve degrees.

When it is desired to return a bit or screwdriver point to its respective chamber 16, the tool is inverted and with the parts in the position shown in FIG. 2, the bit will move by gravity into the adjacent chamber 16, being guided therein by la curved surface 26b of the kick out plug 26. It should be understood that the curved surface 26b of the kick `out plug is so arranged that it faces the slot 30. Because of the slope of the curved surface 26b of the kick out plug, the bit will be returned to its chamber even though the bit is tilted from the vertical as much as forty-five degrees.

The tubular member 21 is formed with an abutment shoulder 31 which which limits movement of the handle assembly toward the nose 22 of the screwdriver. The handle assembly 12 is yieldably held against the shoulder 31 by means of a spring 32 dispo-sed between the wall 20 and the cap 25. The shoulder 31 is formed with four recesses 36 which extend radially of the tubular member 21 and are proportioned to receive four projections 37 extending from the end of the handle member 15. When the projections 37 are received within the recesses 36, the handle assembly 12 is locked against rotation with respect to the tubular member 211and therefore the screwdriver may be used in a conventional manner to rotate a screwdriver point mounted within the holding means 23.

The holding means 23 comprises a nose bushing 40 which is fixed within the nose 22 of the tubular member 21 and further comprises a locking bushing 41 fixed within the tubular member 21 adjacent the nose 22 thereof. A washer 43 is slidably received between the nose bushing 49 and the locking bushing 41 and is yieldably held in abutment with the locking bushing 41 by means of a coil spring 45 received between the washer 43 and the nose bushing 40. The locking bushing 41 has an aperture 46 therethrough which is of suicient diameter to allow passage through the locking bushing 41 of a selected one of the bits 17.

The locking bushing 41 has a pair of diametrically opposite slots 47 therethrough which extend longitudinally of the locking bushing, open into the aperture 46 and are proportioned to allow passage through the locking bushing of va pair of ears 48 which project radially from each of the bits 17. Arranged at ninety degrees from the slots 47 are a pair of slots 50 which also open into the passage 46 but which eX-tend only partially through the locking bushing 41 from the lower end thereof and are proportioned for reception of the ears 48 of a selected one of the bits 17. In order to lock a selected bit within the locking means 23, the bit is moved into the tubular member 21 by manipulation of the handle 12 with respect to the tubular member 21 as above described and is passed through the aperture 46 by aligning the ears 48 with slots 47. The bit is then pulled, forcing the ears 48 outwardly against the washer 43, depressing the spring 45, and

is then rotated with its ears 4S below the bushing 4l until the ears 43 are aligned with slots S0. The bit is allowed to move inwardly under the influence of spring 4S to seat ears 48 within the slots 5G so as to lock the bit within the holding means 23,

The complete operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that all four of the'bits are within their respective chambers i6, the handle assembly 12` is pulled away from the shoulder 3i disengaging the projections 37 from the recesses 36 so that the handle assembly may be rotated with respect to the tubular assembly 11 to align the slot 36 with the particular chamber within which the desired bit is contained. The tool is held with the cap 25 up as in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the handle assembly is then moved to the position shown in FIG. 2 away from the shoulder 31 to dispose the lower end of the inclined wall 1S at the lower end of slot Si). The surface 1S will then guide the desired bit into the tubular member 21 even though the screwdriver may be tilted from the vertical by as much as forty-tive degrees. f course the tool might be held horizontally with the chamber housing the desired bi-t arranged above the tubular member Z1. In such a position the bit will drop into tubular member 21 and surface 18 is not needed to guide it in.

The bit drops through the aperture d6 and the end of the bit projects outwardly through the collar 4t). By rotating the bit manually, the ears may be aligned with slots 47 for passage therethrough. The bit is then puled outwardly forcing the ears 4S against the washer 43, depressing the spring 4.5 and is then rotated with its ears 48 below the bushing 4l until the ears 48 are aligned with slots Sii. The bit is allowed to move inwardly under the influence of spring 4' to seat ears 48 within the slots 50 to lock the bit within the holding means 23. In order to return the bit to its chamber the above described operation is reversed.

It will be obvious from the above description ythat my invention provides a device which will permanently hold bits within the tool preventing `loss or misplacement ofthe bits. It can also be seen that the bits may be quickly and easily mounted so as to extend from the nose ZZ by manipulation of the handle l2 and by suitable manipulation of the holding means 23. It should be noted that the handle assembly can be manipulated with respect to the tubular assembly by grasping the handle 12 and either the tubular member 2l or the Vcap 25.

\Vhile the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a multiple bit tool, a central elongated tubular member having a nose at its lower end, a shoulder integral with and projecting laterally from said tubular member approximately midway the length of the latter, a cap affixed to the upper end of said tubular member, a cylindrical sleeve enclosing said tubular member and of greater diameter than and of less length than the latter mounted for reciprocation as well as rotative movement between said shoulder and said cap, means on the lower end of said sleeve and said shoulder to hold said parts against relative rotative movement when engaged with one another, said sleeve having spaced apart longitudinally disposed bit receiving chambers therein each communicating throughout its length with theV exterior wall of said tubular member, a downwardly inclined wall at the lower end of each chamber abutting said tubular member, the wall of said tubular member enclosed by said sleeve having a longitudinal slot suciently wide to receive a bit from the adjacent chamber and of less length than the latter, the lower end of said inclined wall disposed approximately aligned with the lower end of said slot when e oceans Vmember approximately midway the length of the latter,

a cap aixed to the upper end of said tubular member, a cylindrical sleeve enclosing said tubular member and of greater diameter than and of less length than the latter mounted for reciprocation as well as rotative movement between said shoulderand said cap, a centrally apertured wall encircling said tubular member and rigidly secured in the upper end of said sleeve, an expansion spring interposed between said cap and said wall to normally maintain said sleeve engaged with said shoulder, means on the lower end of said sleeve and said shoulder to hold said parts against relative rotative movement when engaged with one another, said sleeve having spaced apart longitudinally disposed bit receiving chambers therein each communicating throughout its length with the exterior wall of said tubular member, a downwardly inclined wall at the lower end of each chamber abutting said tubular member, the wall of said tubular member enclosed by said sleeve having a longitudinal slot suficiently wide to receive a bit from the adjacent chamber and of less length than the latter, and the lower end of said inclined wall disposed approximately aligned with the 'lower end of said slot when the upper end of the sleeve is engaged with said cap.

3. In a multiple bit tool, a central elongated tubular member having a nose at its lower end, a shoulder integral with and projecting laterally from said tubular member approximately midway the length of the latter, a cap aixed to the upper end of said tubular member, a cylindrical sleeve enclosing said tubular member and of greater diameter than and of less length than the latter mounted for reciprocaticn as well as rotative movement between said shoulder and said cap, a centrally apertured wall encircling said tubular member and rigidly secured in the upper end of said sleeve, an expansion spring interposed between said cap and said wall to normally maintain said sleeve engaged with said shoulder, means on the lower end of said sleeve and said shoulder to hold said parts against relative rotative movement when engaged with one another, said sleeve having spaced apart longitudinally disposed bit receiving chambers therein each communicating throughout its length with the exterior wall of said tubular member, a downwardly inclined wall at the lower end of each chamber abutting said tubular member, the wall of said tubular member enclosed by said sleeve having a longitudinal slot sufiiciently wide to receive a bit from the adjacent chamber and of less length than the latter, the lower end of said inclined wall disposed approximately aligned with the lower end of said slot when the upper end of the sleeve is engaged with said cap, a lkick-out plug secured in s aid tubular member having an inclined surface extending from a wall of said tubular member in an upward direction diametrically across said member to the upper end of said slot.

4. A multiple bit tool comprising a tubular element, a sleeve reciprocably received on one end of said tubular element, said tubular element having an abutment shoulder limiting movement of said sleeve toward the other end of said tubular element, a spring acting between said tubular element and said sleeve and urging said sleeve against said shoulder, said shoulder formed with recesses and said sleeve formed with mating projections to engage therein for preventing relative rotation of said sleeve and tubular element, a plurality of elongated bits received in said sleeve, said sleeve having a plurality of chambers around said tubular element for recept-ion of said bits, said chambers extending parallel to said tubular element and havingone end located toward the other end of the tubular element, said tubular element having in the Wall thereof a slot positioned for location adjacent the one end of -a selected one of said chambers by moving said sleeve away from said shoulder whereby a selected bit may pass into said tubular element, a plug received within the one end of the tubular element and having a surface which slopes toward said slot in such manner as to guide bits in said tubular element into said slot, said sleeve having sloping surfaces arranged to cause the one end of said bits to rest against said tube and to guide the selected bit into said tube when said slot is located adjacent the selected bit, each of said bits having a pair of ears projecting sidewardly therefrom, a collar mounted at the other end of said tubular element having an aperture therethrough suiiiciently large for passage of the selected bit, a bushing ixed Within said tubular element adjacent the other end thereof, said bushing having an aperture therethrough suiiciently large for passage of said bit and having slots therethrough opening into said bushings aperture for passage of the ears of the selected bit, a washer slidably received Within said tubular element between said collar and said bushing and having an aperture suiciently large for passages of the selected bit but sufciently small to prevent passage of the ears of the selected bit, a spring received between said collar and said washer and yieldably holding said washer against said bushing, said bushing having a second pair of slots at the end thereof adjacent said Washer, said second pair of slots extending only partially through said bushing for locking reception of the ears of the selected bit.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,629,413 Stettler Feb. 24, 1953 2,632,489 Johnson Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS R. 14,425 Germany May 9, 1956 

